Madame Speaker's Misuse of the Bible and Some Other Interesting Links
Thursday, April 24, 2008 at 08:59PM 
You gotta love church bureaucrats. The more they talk, the less they say. You'd think that the LCMS bigwigs would seek to put an end to the controversy by finally explaining why they canceled "Issues, Etc." Instead, they keep trying to obfuscate, and are clearly doing the "CYA dance." Scroll down to read the last few posts from M. Z. Hemingway. Unbelievable. Click here: Augsburg1530
Speaker Pelosi not only presides over a Congress which gets lower approval ratings than our very unpopular President, but she keeps citing a Bible verse to justify her environmental views. Somebody finally decided to look up the verse. Surprise, surprise, it doesn't exist. Not even close. Nice try Madame Speaker. Click here: Biblical Scholars Challenge Pelosi's 'Scripture' Quote -- 04/23/2008
Reader Comments (18)
BTW posting from the PCRT in Philly - sure that won't be a problem here! Time to go and get fed.
Anyway, I can't decide which is more egregious, the notion of a National Day of Prayer or that it requires a Task Force. Plain vanilla prayers serving its purpose seem to make sense though. What would be egregious is a Presbyterian doing this, not an Evangelical. Zacharias is just being a good Evangelical.
But in the States, home of the separation of church and state, your Speaker quotes the Bible (and even makes up Bible verse) with impunity. What gives?
From his free online book, Quantum Spirituality:
"In the modern era worship was demystified and denatured. Postmoderns are driven by desire to explore and celebrate an ever-deepening intimacy with the Great Mystery that is the universe. Liturgies of the earth--fire, land, wind, and water--can restore the biological and physical rhythms of the planet to our computer-programmed consciousness. Outdoor earth rituals can also provide worshipers with experiences of connectedness to all earthlings: What the Sioux Indians call the creeping people, the standing people, the flying people, and the swimming people. All earthlings must be incorporated into the body of Christ in more ways than just through the “blessing of the animals.” We must find ritual ways to make earthlings’ presence felt, their partic ipation solicited, their voices heard, if the ideal of ecological worship is to be realized."
Have any of you ladies and gentlemen ever heard great lines that you wish were in the Bible? I have a couple:
When I was a kid, my favorite actor was always "dirty Harry." Here are a couple great quotes from "dirty Harry." "He's a legend in his own mind." Here is one that is very practical, that I always try to remember. "A man has got to know his limitations."
Have you ever sat at a traffic light, and the car in front of you just sit's there with the light green? I always ask them, "any particular shade of green?"
Have a great day all!!!!
At least everyone (else) seemed to feel blessed. Mission accomplished!
Funny thing is I heard this saying used in a commercial for a "weight loss ministry"advertised on a local radio station. I suppose it was aimed for those who help themselves too much.
"Don't you realize that this is not the way to live? Unjust people who don't care about God will not be joining in his kingdom. Those who use and abuse each other, use and abuse sex, use and abuse the earth and everything in it, don't qualify as citizens in God's kingdom."
DSY
Why give him a break instead of saying that (presuming his work was otherwise sound) what is now being done is inconsistent with that previous sound work? Again, I think the "give him a break" approach is just another version of under-confessionalism, at least for those who really do care about what the best of a rigorous confessionalism can yield. Sometimes a shot across the bow at popular Evangelicals helps tease out real confessionalist presuppositions as opposed to those who may want to simply maximize the Big Top.
Also, I am not so sure that critique translates so easily into the presumption of "having left the fold." Who said that? Besides, was Zacharias once a Presbyterian? To my knowledge, he's always been outside the Presbyterian fold as an Evangelical. But if you mean that to have "left the fold" to be some sort of comment on someone's eternal status (which I gather the reaction to the criticism may be), we Reformed have the categories of in/visible church firmly enough in place not to presume to peer into that which no man is allowed, contra Evamgelicals who seem quick to make such judgments.
Zrim
I have posted on praying in Jesus' name here http://beholdingthebeauty.blogspot.com/2008/04/praying-in-jesus-name.html if you are interested. I do not think that we are conscience bound to end our prayers with "in Jesus' name." Nor do I think we need to get all bent out of shape for his "generic" prayer.
I read your post and decided to respond here, only because my machine is being temperamental about your blog(!).
You made the point that we ought not judge another's motives. I think that is quite agreed. The point here is to examine another's words. That is all anyone may do. The context, which is civil religion, seems to really be the point here. A generic prayer seems to confirm the broader desire to simply join in a neutered and innocuous form of cultural religion.
As for the prayer, I don't think it's a wise prayer to give in such a context; it does seem like an an attempt to get all types of Americans praying together. Maybe they want some politicians to join in, so the universal appeal will help. Will the prayer be used for some gathering?
And I do question the wisdom of Ravi; he was a speaker at the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City with other "Christians" some time ago. Many Mormons came out happy with what they heard; it's hard to believe that a faithful proclamation of the gospel would leave a Mormon feeling good, especially Mormom leaders. He is a smart man, but he sure has some significant problems. Why was he invited to a Ligonier National Conference?
DSY